Origin
Wailea, HI
Morning in Wailea on Friday
Local time
11:12 AM
HST
Current temp
87°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Wailea, HI to Kahului, HI
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 17, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
34m
Distance
15.9 mi
26 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 31m
★
6 AM
0h 34m
8 AM
0h 40m
10 AM
0h 36m
12 PM
0h 36m
3 PM
0h 37m
5 PM
0h 40m
8 PM
0h 33m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Wailea, HI
Wikimedia Commons
Kahului, HI
Mike Norris
Trip Overview
The drive from Wailea, HI to Kahului, HI covers 15.9 miles and takes about 34m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on Piilani Highway, Maui Veterans Highway, South Puunene Avenue for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 6.7 miles on Piilani Highway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $3.45 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 34m. Total distance: 15.9 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
34m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (0%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Scenic Drive
Turn-heavy local drive route profile.
Drive Character
Expect a 34m drive with frequent turns across 15.9 miles of local and secondary roads.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 14 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Piilani Highway is the longest continuous segment at about 6.7 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. You will hit about 10 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 0.1 miles in.
Driving Effort
5/10
Moderate - straightforward overall, but long enough or busy enough to require pacing
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This drive requires moderate attention. Across 15.9 miles you will encounter 10 spots where lane choice or exit timing matters. Not difficult for experienced highway drivers, but worth previewing the tricky sections before you go.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles: Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch; at 0.1 miles: Roundabout - know your exit number before entering; at 1.2 miles (HI 31 / Piilani Highway): Lane positioning matters here.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 10 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
6
0.1 mi into trip
|
~0m in
At end of road, turn right
Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch
6
0.1 mi into trip
|
~1m in
Enter roundabout
Roundabout - know your exit number before entering
5
1.2 mi into trip
|
~4m in
|
HI 31 / Piilani Highway
Turn left onto HI 31 / Piilani Highway
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / left lanes.
4
6 mi into trip
|
~14m in
|
HI 31 / Piilani Highway
Enter roundabout onto HI 31 / Piilani Highway
Roundabout - know your exit number before entering
4
15.4 mi into trip
|
~32m in
|
HI 32 / Kaahumanu Avenue
Turn left onto HI 32 / Kaahumanu Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left / straight / right lanes.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Piilani Highway | 6.7 mi | 14m |
| Maui Veterans Highway | 6.4 mi | 11m |
| South Puunene Avenue | 1.1 mi | 2m |
| Wailea Alanui Drive | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| Okolani Drive | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| Kaahumanu Avenue | 0.5 mi | 1m |
Longest stretch:
Piilani Highway
— 6.7 mi, about 14m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Wailea, HI and Kahului, HI.
1
Start on this road
339 ft
·
27 sec
·
this road
2
At end of road, turn right
416 ft
·
32 sec
3
Continue
199 ft
·
15 sec
4
At end of road, turn left onto Wailea Alanui Drive
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
Wailea Alanui Drive
5
Turn right onto Okolani Drive
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
Okolani Drive
6
Turn left onto HI 31
4.8 mi
·
10 min
·
Piilani Highway
Use the straight / left lanes.
7
Enter roundabout onto HI 31
145 ft
·
2 sec
·
Piilani Highway
8
Continue on HI 31
1.9 mi
·
3 min
·
Piilani Highway
Use the straight lane.
9
Continue on HI 311
6.4 mi
·
11 min
·
Maui Veterans Highway
Use the straight lane.
10
Continue on HI 3500
1.1 mi
·
2 min
·
South Puunene Avenue
11
Turn left onto HI 32
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
Kaahumanu Avenue
Use the left / straight / right lanes.
12
Turn right
64 ft
·
9 sec
13
Turn left
191 ft
·
14 sec
14
Arrive at destination
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$3.45 one way
$6.89 round trip
$5.51/gal
25.4 MPG avg
6 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $5.79 | $3.62 | $7.25 |
| premium | $5.98 | $3.74 | $7.49 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $3.51 | $7.02 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 5.6 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 4.8 | 0 | $1.67 | $0.76 |
| Efficient EV | 4 | 0 | $1.39 | $0.64 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 6.4 | 0 | $2.23 | $1.02 |
Gas CO2
6 kg
EV CO2
2 kg (67% less)
This trip is well within single-charge range for most EVs. No charging stops needed if you start fully charged.
DC fast charging avg $0.35/kWh. Home charging avg $0.16/kWh. US grid CO2: 0.39 kg/kWh.
Travel Intel
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Destination
Kahului, HI
Morning in Kahului on Friday
Local time
11:12 AM
HST
Current temp
69°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Time zone
Same local time
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
18 degrees cooler at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
34m on the road
Use the two city cards together: check the sky where you start, then compare it with the local time and temperature at arrival.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
Frequently Asked Questions
The drive from Wailea, HI to Kahului, HI covers 15.9 miles and takes about 34m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Piilani Highway, Maui Veterans Highway, South Puunene Avenue. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 8 miles from Wailea, HI. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $3.45 one way. This estimate uses 25.4 MPG — your actual cost will vary with your vehicle's fuel efficiency and current gas prices.
Leave by 9 AM and you'll arrive before lunch. Even a 4 PM departure gets you there before dark in summer.
This drive requires moderate attention. Across 15.9 miles you will encounter 10 spots where lane choice or exit timing matters. Not difficult for experienced highway drivers, but worth previewing the tricky sections before you go.
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles: Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch; at 0.1 miles: Roundabout - know your exit number before entering; at 1.2 miles (HI 31 / Piilani Highway): Lane positioning matters here.
The route from Wailea, HI to Kahului, HI does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.
How this page is built
Compiled by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy from open government datasets — OSRM over OpenStreetMap for geometry, and EIA for fuel prices. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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